Possessige The Personality Changes

Polly hasn’t opened the screen door; she’s talking to Laurel through the mesh, as she would to a peddler. “I heard that your daughter was sick, so I came to visit her,” Laurel says. “I bought a pie.” “You should have waited,” Polly says. “She’s not dead yet.” Laurel steps backward, as if she’d been slapped :p.144. When Laurel Smith comes to visit Amanda, Polly does not give good respond. Polly tries to reject her. She feels suspicious with her visit, and Laurel Smith knows about that. “You don’t have to invite me inside if you don’t want to,” Laurel Smith says. “I don’t know why you‘re here,” Polly says. “Why are you here?” “I just thought most kids liked apple pie,” Laurel says. “I always loved it.” :p.144 Polly does not want Laurel Smith is getting closer with Amanda because it means that Amanda will spend her time with Laurel, not with her own mother. Still, when Laurel enters the house, Polly does not give good respond, she does not ask her to sit down. Laurel Smith is still standing when Amanda comes upstairs; she has not been invited to sit down :p.145. Amanda likes the flower which Laurel Smith brings and she is interested with Laurel’s hair that is pulled back into French braid. Knowing that Amanda has interest on her hair, Laurel offers Amanda how to make the braid and Amanda agrees. Polly realizes if she allows Amanda to go with Laurel, she has to share Amanda’s time with Laurel, and it seems not a good idea for her. Polly does not want it happens and it makes her to reject Laurel’s offer indirectly. “I could teach you to do your hair like this,” Laurel says. Polly narrows her eyes; she realizes that she has read Amanda’s mind just easily as Laurel has. “Yeah?” Amanda says. “Would that be okay?” Laurel asks Polly. “I’m sure you’re busy,” Polly says. “No,” Laurel says. “The most important thing I have to do today is buy cat food.” “You have a cat?” Amanda asks, as if this were the most fascinating piece of information she’d ever heard. “Grandma and Grandpa are coming over,” Polly says weakly. “Not for a while,” Amanda says. She looks very small, and younger than her age. “Oh, please” Polly and Laurel Smith look at each other. “All right,” Polly says :p.146. Finally Polly allows Laurel to teach Amanda in making the braids. Polly is still wondering and asking what is the purpose behind that. She feels suspicious and asks directly to Laurel about it. “Why are you doing this?” Polly says, suspiciously. She figures she has a right to be suspicious when a woman who communes with spirits wants to brush her daughter’s hair :pp.146-147. Polly has a dynamic character, in which it changes from the beginning and at the end of the story. By the end of the story, Polly is described not to be a possessive mother anymore. She dismisses her possessive feeling after she talks with Laurel Smith. They meet in the tournament in which Amanda does the last performance. Actually when Polly knows that Laurel comes, she does not want to say hello with Laurel but finally she does it because Ivan persuades her. “I can’t believe this,” Polly says to Ivan. “Laurel Smith is here.” “It’s a free country,” Ivan says. “It’s a free gym.” “Hah,” Polly snorts, and Ivan wonders if she’s thinking about all the meets he missed last year. “We should go over and say hello,” Ivan tells Polly. “Absolutely not,” Polly says. “Fine,” Ivan says. “I’ll go.” “Don’t,” Polly says, and she’s not kidding :p.179. Polly finally says hello to Laurel but she says something rude to her. She shows that she does not like Laurel comes to their family life, especially Amanda. But Laurel tells her that Amanda belongs to her, no one can take Amanda from her. What is said by Laurel makes Polly realizes that it is correct. Amanda is her daughter and no one can take her away from her side. “I’ll go over and get her,” Polly finally says. […] You’re sitting on the wrong side,” Polly calls from the floor. […] “Why don’t you sit with us?” Polly says with absolutely no warmth. “Oh, no. I couldn’t,” Laurel says. “You’ve already forced yourself on us, you might as well go ahead and sit with us,” Polly blurts out. She turns away from Laurel, shocked by what she’s said. “I’m sorry,” Polly says now. “If she didn’t love you, she wouldn’t need to talk to me,” Laurel Smith says. “Don’t say that,” Polly snaps. “Don’t you dare tell me what my daughter needs.” […] “I could never steal her away from you,” Laurel says. “She can’t be stolen. She’s yours.” Polly can’t speak, but she nods her head. “I don’t have to sit with you,” Laurel says. “Sit with us,” Polly says. “Really,” she says. “I want you to.” :pp.180-181. Amanda will always be her daughter, now and forever. That’s why she can stand and watch as Amanda runs outside so quickly you’d think she was weightless, you’d think she was flying straight into the sun :p.189.

4.2.2 Partial

As a good mother, Polly should give her attention and affection for the children equally. Slowly, Amanda’s illness makes Polly gives her attention and affection for Amanda only. When Polly takes the children to Bradlee’s to buy the new clothes, Polly helps Amanda to choose the clothes on the contrary Polly does not help Charlie. It can be seen from the conversation between Charlie and Polly :Murphy 1972:162. “Mom,” Charlie says, “I don’t know what kind of jeans to get.” “Don’t act like such a baby” Polly snaps. “Get whatever you see.” […] Amanda leads the way down the aisle, and Polly follows. On the way to the school supplies, Amanda is waylaid in the jewelry department. Polly helps her to choose three bangle bracelets, all in different shades of purple. As she turns back to the cart, Polly sees that Charlie is still standing where she lefts him, in the girls’ department. Polly has forgotten, this is happening to him, too :pp.95-96. Polly realizes that she starts to give attention for Charlie inequality but she cannot do something because her focus right know is Amanda. Having the new atmosphere in the family, Charlie knows that her mother does not give an equal attention anymore. The condition that know happens to him makes Charlie hates both his mother and sister, although he does not want to :p.96. There is no a lot of time for Amanda to live, and Polly really wants to spend the rest of the time with Amanda only. If it is possible, she does not want to share it with anyone. The consequence is the limited time for giving attention to Charlie. What Polly has in her mind is all about Amanda. When there is meeting between the teachers and the parents, Polly prefers to spend her day with Amanda, only Amanda not both of the children. The direct comment shows that the time belongs to Amanda only. Although Linda Gleason phones Polly each time there’s a parents’ or teacher’s meeting, Polly doesn’t bother going to them; she can’t waste the time better spent at home, with Amanda :p.122.

4.2.3 Forgiging

Polly’s parent, Al and Claire, visit the family often since Amanda living with AIDS. They usually come on the weekend. Because of the conflict in the past between Polly and her parents, Polly does not feel comfortable when Al and Claire come. The condition is shown by the direct comment :Murphy 1972:170. The telephone rings, and Polly lets it go on ringing. It is probably that horrible group who want to keep Amanda out of school, or her father, who’s been driving her insane. Al wants to come up with Claire for a weekend, a couple of days, maybe a few weeks. While Polly is dragging Amanda to the hospital for blood tests, Al will shoot a few baskets with Charlie; Claire will cook a stew. It’s the last thing in the world Polly wants. She’s always on guard when her parents visit—if she weren’t she might tell them what she thought of them—and she doesn’t have the energy to keep up her guard :p.114. Every time Al and Claire want to visit the family, Polly tries to delay their coming. She uses any reasons for it. Al knows about what happens between them and he asks about it but Polly still does not want to tell the truth, on the contrary she uses another reason. “We want to come up for a visit this week,” Al says. He acts as though they haven’t been through this a dozen times before. “Daddy,” Polly says tiredly. “Your mother can pack a suitcase, including wrapping everything in tissue paper, in ten minutes flat.” This is no idle threat, Polly has seen her mother do it. “Absolutely not,” Polly says. “Next weekend,” Al says. “We’ll drive up Friday night.” “I’m going to hang up on you,” Polly tells him. “What have you got against us?” Al says. “What did we do to you that was so terrible?” “Nothing,” Polly says. “Look, I don’t want Mom to be upset.” :p.115 When her parents come and stay with them, they will take care the house. Claire will clean the house and Al will fix the stuffs that broken. Amanda and Charlie are happy if their grandparents come but still Al and Claire’s presence do not make Polly feels comfortable. One night, while Polly sits down in the basement, she thinks about her past, her father for particularly. Polly knows that she has done unpleasant things to her father, and that night Polly thinks about the kindness of her father. But tonight, as she sits in her own basement, she thinks more kindly of her father than she has in years. She thinks of what he taught her: how to change a washer, how to check the underside of a painted dresser drawer and know if it’s made out of oak or pine, how not to be afraid of dark basements, of the noise steam pipes make when they moan and send up heat :p.76. Al and Claire come often. Their routine visit makes Polly accustoms with their presence. Polly starts not to behave cynical anymore. She realizes that her parents help her a lot, in taking care the house or taking care their grandchildren.